Happy Little Things: Essential Oil Aromatherapy
November 13, 2015
It’s funny how things start. In yoga class, the teacher
offered us a dab of a stress-relieving essential oil during our final resting
pose. I don’t know if it alleviated my stress (which was pretty low after
practicing yoga for an hour), but it smelled lovely. In the back of my mind, I
decided I wanted to buy a bottle of that scent to have on hand, simply because
it smelled good.
Then, after thus stimulating my reticular activating system,
I began to see information about essential oils and aromatherapy everywhere.
Friends began to use and sell different brands of oils. I remembered that one friend of mine used essential oils on her horse to help calm her after another
friend asked me about trying them on a pony at our barn who is especially high
strung. I wondered if using essential oils in a diffuser would make our house
smell better (we rarely open the windows because of the humidity so I think it
smells stale in here) and maybe even boost our moods and immune systems. Maybe
I could find some essential oils to improve my ability to think and concentrate
when I’m writing!
So with my mom’s help, for my birthday I bought a diffuser,
a set of oils for the aromatherapy beginner, and a book on basic aromatherapy.
Since then, I’ve been experimenting with the oils and the diffuser and have
found several combinations I like: eucalyptus and lemon for the kitchen,
peppermint for my office, lavender in our bedroom at night. I only have one
diffuser, so I move it around the house with me as needed. I plan to use the
oils in making cleaning solutions for the house, and also find a way to use
them in my car—either a diffuser meant for the car, or simply a cotton ball
with a bit of oil on it. I have a lot to learn about what each oil is good for
(and I still haven’t bought that first bottle that started all this) but I’m
enjoying the simple pleasure of finding out. Essential oils are my newest happy
little thing!
What’s your newest happy little thing?
4 comments
Kathy- this sounds like a great new happy thing. Think I may request some essential oils for Christmas. I love wonderful scents. Hope you are having a super day. Thanks too for "Looking up" with me for France.
ReplyDeleteDebbie--I'm really enjoying it. There are so many nice scents to choose from, and the oils have therapeutic value as well. You'll have to let me know if you start experimenting.
ReplyDeleteYes, natural scents are my happy thing, especially since I'm allergic to chemical scents! The aromatherapy is a whole system, I know, but sometimes I think just the act of nurturing myself with scents or visual or auditory or sensory treats is healing.
ReplyDeleteOther happy little things: Being in an artist's studio or an art gallery or museum...
Walks by the sea...
There are more...
Rita--Those are wonderful happy little things--so glad there are so many of them. I'm not allergic to chemical scents, but I'm trying to freshen the house with non-toxic means. Today was the first day I could open the windows, and it was so nice to have fresh air--another happy thing.
ReplyDelete